Technologies for integrating cloud content items across platforms

Abstract

Systems and methods for integrating cloud-based and cloud-backed content items with a content management system (CSM) are provided. In some examples, a method can include storing a content item in a shared folder on a CSM, the content item representing a cloud-backed or cloud-based content item associated with a cloud content provider; receiving a request to access the content item in the shared folder; in response to the request, determining, based on permissions configured at the CSM, whether a user account has permissions allowing the user account to access the shared folder or the content item; based on a determination that the user account has permissions, granting the user account access to the content item and providing to the user account a content and features of the content item, the features being supported by the cloud content provider and provisioned at least partly through the cloud content provider.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 storing a content item in a shared folder stored on a content management system, the content item representing a cloud-backed content item associated with a cloud content provider or a cloud-based content item associated with the cloud content provider; 
 receiving, from a user account on the content management system, a request to access the content item in the shared folder; 
 in response to the request, determining, based on access permissions configured at the content management system, whether the user account has an access permission allowing the user account to access the content item; 
 based on a determination that the user account has the access permission, granting the user account access to the content item; 
 retrieving functionality from the cloud content provider for enabling one or more features of the cloud content provider; and 
 providing, to the user account, a content of the content item and the one or more features. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the access permission comprises a content item permission inherited by the content item from a shared folder permission set at the content management system for the shared folder, the shared folder permission comprising at least one of a read permission providing the user account read access to the shared folder or an edit permission providing the user account edit access to the shared folder, wherein granting the user account access to the content item is based on the content item permission inherited by the content item from the shared folder permission. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the content item permission comprises at least one of a content item read permission inherited from the read permission associated with the shared folder or a content item edit permission inherited from the edit permission associated with the shared folder. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content item comprises a canonical content item stored on the content management system, wherein the content of the content item is stored on the content management system and provided via the canonical content item, the canonical content item representing the cloud-backed content item or the cloud-backed content item, wherein the cloud content provider comprises at least one of a different content provider than the content management system or a different platform than the content management system. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more features are designed for access via a native online application associated with the cloud content provider, wherein providing the one or more features of the content item comprises:
 sending, from a local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the one or more features of the content item; 
 receiving, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, metadata for enabling the one or more features of the content item; and 
 in response to receiving the metadata for enabling the one or more features of the content item, providing, on the local application, the content item and the one or more features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the canonical content item, the one or more features being provided based on the metadata. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the local application is different from the native online application associated with the cloud content provider, and wherein the local application does not natively support the one or more features associated with the content item, the local application providing the one or more features and the content of the content item as part of the rendered instance of the canonical content item without translating the content prior to rendering the content. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content of the content item is stored on and provided from the cloud content provider, wherein the content item comprises a smart pointer representing the cloud-backed content item or the cloud-backed content item, and wherein the cloud content provider comprises at least one of a different content provider than the content management system or a different platform than the content management system. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the one or more features are designed for access via a native online application associated with the cloud content provider, wherein providing the content and the one or more features of the content item comprises:
 sending, from a local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the content and one or more features of the content item; 
 receiving, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, the content of the content item and metadata for enabling the one or more features of the content item; and 
 in response to receiving the content of the content item and the metadata, providing, by the local application, the content and one or more features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the smart pointer. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the local application is different than the native online application and lacks native support for the content and one or more features of the content item, the local application providing the one or more features and the content of the content item as part of the rendered instance of the smart pointer without translating the content prior to rendering the content. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more features comprise one or more collaboration functionalities comprising at least one of active commenting on the content of the content item, bi-directional communication between user accounts working on the content item, or accessing user activity associated with the user accounts working on the content item, the method further comprising:
 receiving, from the content management system, one or more additional features supported by the content management system and providing additional functionality to the content item, the one or more additional features comprising at least one of organization settings associated with the user accounts registered at the content management system or sharing features. 
 
     
     
       11. A system comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
 store a content item in a shared folder stored on a content management system, the content item representing a cloud-backed content item associated with a cloud content provider or a cloud-based content item associated with the cloud content provider; 
 receive, from a user account on the content management system, a request to access the content item on the shared folder; 
 in response to the request, determine, based on access permissions configured at the content management system, whether the user account has an access permission allowing the user account to access the content item; 
 based on a determination that the user account has the access permission, grant the user account access to the content item; 
 retrieve functionality from the cloud content provider for enabling one or more features of the cloud content provider; and 
 provide, to the user account, a content of the content item and the one or more features. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the access permission comprises a content item permission inherited by the content item from a shared folder permission set at the content management system for the shared folder, the shared folder permission comprising at least one of a read permission providing the user account read access to the shared folder or an edit permission providing the user account edit access to the shared folder, wherein granting the user account access to the content item is based on the content item permission inherited by the content item from the shared folder permission. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the content item permission comprises at least one of a content item read permission inherited from the read permission associated with the shared folder or a content item edit permission inherited from the edit permission associated with the shared folder. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the content item comprises a canonical content item stored on the content management system, wherein the content of the content item is stored on the content management system and provided via the canonical content item, the canonical content item representing the cloud-backed content item or the cloud-backed content item, wherein the cloud content provider comprises at least one of a different content provider than the content management system or a different platform than the content management system, wherein a local application is different than a native online application and lacks native support for the one or more features associated with the content item. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more features are designed for access via the native online application associated with the cloud content provider, wherein providing the one or more features of the content item comprises:
 sending, from the local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the one or more features of the content item; 
 receiving, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, metadata for enabling the one or more features of the content item; and 
 in response to receiving the metadata for enabling the one or more features of the content item, providing, on the local application, the content item and the one or more features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the canonical content item, the local application providing the content as part of the rendered instance of the canonical content item without translating the content prior to rendering the content. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the content of the content item is stored on and provided from the cloud content provider, wherein the content item comprises a smart pointer representing the cloud-backed content item or the cloud-backed content item, and wherein the cloud content provider comprises at least one of a different content provider than the content management system or a different platform than the content management system. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more features are designed for access via a native online application associated with the cloud content provider, wherein providing the content and the one or more features of the content item comprises:
 sending, from a local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the content and one or more features of the content item; 
 receiving, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, the content of the content item and metadata for enabling the one or more features of the content item; and 
 in response to receiving the content of the content item and the metadata, providing, by the local application, the content and one or more features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the smart pointer without translating the content prior to rendering the content. 
 
     
     
       18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 store a content item in a shared folder stored on a content management system, the content item representing a cloud-backed content item associated with a cloud content provider or a cloud-based content item associated with the cloud content provider; 
 receive, from a user account on the content management system, a request to access the content item in the shared folder; 
 in response to the request, determine, based on access permissions configured at the content management system, whether the user account has an access permission allowing the user account to access at least one of the shared folder and the content item; 
 based on a determination that the user account has the access permission, grant the user account access to the content item; 
 retrieve functionality from the cloud content provider for enabling one or more features of the cloud content provider; and 
 provide, to the user account, a content of the content item and the one or more features. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the access permission comprises a content item permission inherited by the content item from a shared folder permission set at the content management system for the shared folder, the shared folder permission comprising at least one of a read permission providing the user account read access to the shared folder or an edit permission providing the user account edit access to the shared folder, wherein granting the user account access to the content item is based on the content item permission inherited by the content item from the shared folder permission. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the content item permission comprises at least one of a content item read permission inherited from the read permission associated with the shared folder or a content item edit permission inherited from the edit permission associated with the shared folder.